Nathaniel Hawthorne (July 4, 1804 – May 19, 1864) was an American novelist and short story writer. One of the great American authors of the 19th century, Nathaniel Hawthorne grew up in New England and published his first novel, Fanshawe, in 1828. Though he went on to help lay the foundations of the American short story, Hawthorne is more widely known for his novels The Scarlet Letter (1850) and The House of Seven Gables (1851). Hawthorne's other books include Twice-Told Tales (1837) and The Marble Faun (1860). From 1853 to 1859 Hawthorne lived in England and in Italy, but returned to the United States and died in 1864.
Summary
In the allegorical tale, Dr. Heidegger experiments on four of his friends (four friends are Mr. Medbourne, Colonel Killigrew, Mr. Gascoigne, and the Widow Wycherly) by offering them water from the fountain of youth. This gives them the ability to grow young once again. All four, who have led wasteful lives, vow never to repeat the mistakes of their youth and to be the perfect individuals they have always imagined. Still, almost as soon as they grow young again, the four friends return to their old wasteful practices. In the end, the effects of the water are temporary and the friends, sadder but not wiser, are returned to their old selves. Even so, they vow to find the Fountain of Youth.
Story Plot:
Conflict
Dr. Heidegger's invites four of his old friends over to his house for an experiment; he claims that he has in his possession water from the fountain of youth. His offer to share this elixir with his guests constitutes the central conflict.
Rising Action
Dr. Heidegger invited four friends to his study.
Dr. Heidegger took a rose from the pages of a book that he had saved for fifty-five years.
He told his friends the story behind the rose, how the woman he was going to marry; Sylvia Ward, gave him the rose to wear on their wedding day. Sadly she died the day before the wedding.
He asked his friends if they thought the rose would ever bloom again, they did not believe it was possible.
The vase on the table where they were sitting was filled with a liquid that looked like water, he poured some water onto the rose and it began to bloom again.
The Dr. Heidegger told them that a friend of him sent some water from the Fountain of Youth and where it is located.
They could drink all the water they wished and grow as young as they wanted, but before they drank Dr. Heidegger said to them think about the mistakes they made while they were young.
Moments later they notice a change. They felt happier, better and younger.
Later, the men were fighting with each other. The water from the fountain spilled on the ground.
Climax
Frenzied romping and the shattered vase, Dr. Heidegger's guests drink more and more of the elixir. Their behavior more frenetic, their actions more frantic as they quarrel, fight, and romp about the study. The moment when the vase shatters is the clear climax of this stage of the story.
Resolution
The young guests grow old again; the excitement is over as the effects of the elixir wear off. Since the vase has been shattered and the water spilled across the floor, there's no chance of going back to the frenzied joy of youth. Dr. Heidegger made his conclusion that they nothing learned from their mistakes.
Characters
Each character finds himself and herself a victim of the vanity of what they pursued the hardest. Mr. Medbourne was once a prosperous merchant but his inability to see beyond wealth results in the loss of it. Colonel Killigrew, obviously a former military man, had sought "sinful pleasures" and now was paying the price with torments of soul and body. Mr. Gascoigne was a ruined politician whose name had almost entirely been forgotten. And the Widow Wycherly, who prided herself on her looks and presence in high society, finds herself devoid of her beauty and indeed shunned by the society she so much enjoyed scandalizing. In addition, the four friends were also intertwined in that all three men had once been lovers of the Widow Wycherly. And even Dr. Heidegger, whose goal was to help others as a medical practitioner, must live in the knowledge that his own prescription killed the one he loved.
Moral of the Story
The most important message to be gleaned from this story is that you cannot go back and try again. Life does not hand out do-overs. The mistakes (on purpose or not) you make in life will one day find you out, and you will have to live with the consequences. The greater the mistake, the greater the consequences.
Opinion & Irony
My personal opinion is that it seems to me an interesting story because it leads us to think very clearly on those things we do in life, blinded by vanity, desire, greed, etc. At first glance, Dr. Heidegger's Experiment may seem like a simple story. Its plot is simple enough; four friends given a chance fix the mistakes of their pasts. Still, when examined closely, one can see that the tale is far deeper. Through countless literary devices Nathaniel Hawthorne creates an allegory overlaid by a cloud of uncertainty. Each and every individual and object is not as basic as it appears. Everything has meaning and represents much more than one might think. For example the rose is a continuing symbol throughout the allegory. It represents the youth of the guests; as they become young it blossoms and when they grow old again it withers away. The entire story is filled with symbols such as these. Through them Hawthorne enforces the idea that as appealing as human perfection may be, it is just out of reach. The meaningful theme represents the Irony of the story: People lack the ability to achieve perfection and therefore, since they are only human, are destined to make the same mistakes twice.
